Polish meat processor pumps €19m into new plants
The development projects include the construction of new poultry farms and installation of new processing lines, as well as the upgrade of a slaughterhouse, according to senior company representatives.
“In early 2017, we completed the construction of one of the most modern farms in Poland, close to Nowy Tomyśl. For about PLN 20 million, we built 10 facilities that can host 300,000 chickens. We also plan to raise the capacity of the slaughterhouse in Słupca from 12,000 to 14,000 head per hour,” Konrad Pazgan, president and CEO of Konspol, told local news site Portalspozywczy.pl. “To date, we have operated a total of five lines for convenience products in Słupca and Nowy Sącz. In 2017, we purchased three additional [meat processing] lines. One has been already installed, and the remaining two will be installed by the end of this year.”
In addition to purchasing three new processing lines, Konspol has also invested in building new facilities to accommodate its increased capacities, according to the company’s president.
Construction ‘nightmare’
“We also built two new production and storage facilities, one in Słupca, and a second one in Nowy Sącz. As a result [of these investments], we raised our capacities by close to 100%, from 3,500 to 7,000 tonnes per month,” Pazgan said.
Other related plans by the company include the construction of another poultry farm in Mieczownica, in close proximity to its existing facility in Słupca.
“We want to build eight facilities there, with a total capacity of 320,000 chickens,” Pazgan said.
Konspol’s president said the firm was also considering constructing another farm in Kotunia, in Poland’s western region of Wielkopolska.
Expansion in Indonesia
“This topic remains of relevance, but we still haven’t received a permission to launch construction work. We have been waiting for it for two years. Today, the process of obtaining a permission to build a slaughterhouse or a farm is a nightmare,” added Pazgan.
Apart from its ongoing investments in Poland, the meat business is also mulling plans to expand in a number of foreign markets. Konspol’s main export destinations currently include the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Slovakia.
Last year, Konspol’s founder Kazimierz Pazgan said the firm was planning to establish two new meat processing plants in Belarus and Russia, and perhaps set up a third facility in Indonesia to boost the company’s presence in various Asian markets, in particular Japan. The planned investments are estimated to be worth a total of PLN 250m (€59.4m). Another project in its early planning stage is the establishment of a fourth foreign meat processing plant in Qatar to enhance Konspol’s presence in the Middle East.
Based in Nowy Sącz, in Poland’s southern region, Konspol is controlled by the Pazgan family. The company’s portfolio comprises ham, frankfurters, chicken wings, sausages, pâtés and other products.
